Glenlawn makes leap with Wozny between pipes

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This article was published 14/12/2022 (1377 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not easy going from Division 3 to Division 1 of the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League.

That’s why, up until this year, a jump like that has never been done.

Glenlawn Collegiate, which lost in the bottom division’s semifinal last season, has not only done it, but has made the transition look seamless.

After a 3-2 overtime victory Wednesday night at the Gateway Rec Centre over the Miles Mac Buckeyes, the Lions improved to 9-5 on the year to enter the holiday break in third place.

Forward Delainey Rigaux scored with 10 seconds left in the extra frame to win Glenlawn the game.

The main reason for Glenlawn’s transformation, however, is its standout Grade 9 goalie Jovi Wozny.

After surrendering just three goals in five pre-season games, it was decided Glenlawn — a program that has never played higher than Division 3 in its six-year history — would take the leap and play with the best of the best.

“To go from three to one, I thought people would be like ‘Oh no, we’re going to get killed.’ But when I announced it, our players were like ‘Yes, bring it on!’ They were up for the challenge and they’ve shown they mean business,” said Glenlawn head coach Guy Anderson.

“To be 9-5 heading into the winter break, I wouldn’t have predicted that, but a lot of it has to do with our goaltender.”

Miles Mac controlled the puck for the majority of Wednesday night, but with the Wozny wall between the pipes, it gave Glenlawn the opportunity to take the game. It’s been a similar story all season as Glenlawn has won a lot of close games and is a perfect 3-0 in shootouts.

Wozny has played all 14 games and boasts an impressive .928 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average.

“To have a Grade 9 goalie come in and make that big of a difference, that’s not common. We’re very fortunate, for sure. But we kind of think we’ve paid our dues because the first six years of our existence, we’ve had a different goalie every year. And four out of those six years, they came from different schools so we’ve never been able to develop a goalie ourselves… So, we’re pretty excited,” said Anderson.

“Her calmness, you don’t see any panic in her. Her basic skills are strong. Her angles, her mobility going laterally, she has really good rebound control, so you put that all together, you’ve got a girl in net who gives you a chance to win every night.”

Wozny, who got her start in the sport at the age of nine, played Double A boys’ hockey for the Winnipeg East Railcats last season. She tried out for a Triple A boys’ team this year and was one of the final cuts.

“I was told the boys might leave me out of stuff, but they were pretty welcoming which was a big surprise to me because I was told the opposite. There were a couple times where someone would be like ‘Why is a girl playing here?’ and I had to prove myself,” said Wozny moments after Wednesday’s victory.

“It felt pretty good proving that I belonged there, but for the most part, it was a pretty welcoming experience and I really appreciated that.”

Instead of returning to Double A, Wozny, 14, wanted to represent her high school.

“I just wanted to focus more on school this year and making friends. So, I decided to just play Glenlawn hockey this year and I was excited,” said Wozny.

“We were thinking we’d hopefully make Division 2, so us making Division 1 was a big surprise.”

Since Wozny first stepped onto the ice, she has wanted to be a goalie. She has attended numerous camps over the years to work on her craft and her skill is obvious to even the untrained eye. Even though she’s been Glenlawn’s most valuable player, and quite possibly the MVP of the entire league this season, she’s all about her team.

“I just really appreciate this team this year being so welcoming to me. I know we have a lot of new players this year and have had to deal with a completely different team and all the adversity of playing at a different level of hockey,” said Wozny. “So, I really appreciate how well our team is in terms of creating a community and a positive environment.”

With Wozny leading the way, this team has the potential to create a magical playoff run. The only teams they trail in the standings are the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens (11-2) and Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard Renards (9-3).

“We’ve shown that we can beat every team in this league. We can skate with every team. We’ve got a goaltender that’s going to keep us in every game and I strongly believe we’ll be a team that contends come playoffs,” said Anderson.

“Goaltending in women’s hockey is so huge. They can carry you a long way… You get that a couple other key components in there and hey, everything’s on the table.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31